February 2010

CNN is reporting this afternoon that according to a draft report by the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), Iran is “secretly developing a nuclear warhead for a missile.”

Is this surprising? In Mid-December last year, The Associated Press reported that Iran tested a new advanced missile that is capable of striking Israel, parts of Europe and U.S bases in the Middle East.

“Iran On Wednesday Test-Fired An Upgraded Version Of Its Most Advanced Missile . . .”(Ali Akbar Dareini, “Iran Test-Fires Its Most Advanced Missile,” The Associated Press, 12/16/09)

“Wednesday's Test Was For The Latest Version Of Iran's Longest-Range Missile, The Sajjil-2, With A Range Of About 1,200 Miles (2,000 Kilometers).”(Ali Akbar Dareini, “Iran Test-Fires Its Most Advanced Missile,” The Associated Press, 12/16/09)

New York Democrats must be pulling their hair out. After Governor David Paterson appointed then-Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to Hillary Clinton’s vacant Senate seat – to the dismay of many liberals who viewed her too conservative – President Barack Obama’s Administration and senior New York Senator Chuck Schumer went out of their way to clear the field and ensure that Gillibrand would have a safe path to the General Election to serve the balance of Clinton’s term.

They didn’t expect former Tennessee Representative Harold Ford, Jr., to make a run at Gillibrand. I mean, who could have imagined? Who would have thought Fancy Ford would aim to make a political comeback in New York of all places?

Socialism as a political buzz word that has waxed and waned over the years. Most years the “s-word” isn’t thrown around much in political discourse. That changed during President Barack Obama’s candidacy when socialism made a comeback. Now with big government spending spiraling out of control, tax increases in the offing and unprecedented consolidation of power over the private sector at the hands of the Obama Administration, socialism itself is in vogue. Well, at least with the ruling political class in the White House and in the upper echelons of Congress.

But what do Americans think about “socialism?” The results are not all that surprising and may explain a thing or two about the November elections and the recent stunner in Massachusetts.